Adsactly Travel - The Island Of Silba - Sparkling Diamond

"Diamonds are forever, they are all I need to please me..."
Surely you’re familiar with the verse from the popular song by Shirley Bassey?
It is precisely this verse that came to my mind when I discovered my diamond this summer.

Until then I had only ever dreamt about diamonds, curled up on the sofa after a hard day’s work as the TV gently lit up the room.

Then one day my reveries became reality. My joy was all the greater because the gem is located in Croatia, only a short drive by car and a quick crossing by ferry from where I live.

The first time I landed on the island of Silba I immediately started exploring its secrets; navigating through its overgrown paths and stumbling upon its hidden beaches.

One day I came across a beautiful sandy beach and spent the rest of the day in a hammock tied between two palm trees. I closed my eyes and realised it was the island from my imagination; my perfect holiday retreat, a 15 km2 diamond sparkling in the Adriatic Sea, waiting for me to discover it.

STEP BY STEP

"Welcome, Lucy!" Was the first thing I heard when I saw my friends waiting for me on the small dock in a little harbour reserved for big ships, such as catamarans, trawlers and water carrier ships. It was the beginning of my adventure.

"Did you notice that cars and bikes aren't coming out of the ferry?" They asked me.

I looked around me, not believing I could have missed something as obvious as that. True enough, only people pulling on their suitcases were coming out of the ferry and some industrial vehicles were unloading food packages.

"That's because motor vehicles and bicycles on Silba are strictly prohibited.
The only exceptions are ambulance cars and small vans for delivering food to shops, restaurants and café bars.
On Silba you can walk around as though you were in your own living room without the danger of something running into you." Mark was explaining to me.

"Unless you happen to have broken your mother's crystal vase," Ana added, recalling a scene from the past.

CAPTAIN PETER

The slow daily rhythm of life on the island and a hot summer sun were reason enough to take a little break and chill inside the house. We toasted to my arrival, whipped up some sandwiches then toasted some more to the beginning of a promising vacation.

All out of rum, giddy and full, we headed for town.

We drifted from one street to the next until a tall slim tower caught my eye.

"It's the Toreta. A gift of love. It was built by Captain Peter, but not as you would expect for the love of his life. He built it for the daughter of the woman he loved,"

Mark told us the story as we climbed up the tower's narrow spiral staircase.

One day Captain Peter decided to set sail for far away shores. As they said their goodbyes, his sweetheart promised to wait for him until his return.
The years passed by, but no letters ever arrived from Captain Peter to his beloved, so she gave up waiting for him and found another.
Upon his return, Captain Peter saw among the young girls of the town one that reminded him of his never forgotten, but long lost love.

He soon discovered that the resemblance was due to the fact that the girl was the daughter of the woman he had loved so long ago.
The girl’s name was Domenica Rasol. Peter made a decision. He built a house with a garden and tower, wooed the young maiden and won her heart.
They married and Peter gave her everything he had once dreamt of giving her mother.

So it is that since 1872 the Toreta with its 12 meter high tower reminds us that all’s fair in love.

As we climbed the last stairs of the Toreta, the view of the entire island spread out around us.

"Do you know how Silba got its name?" Mark asked me, not waiting for me to answer.
"It comes from the Latin word silva which means forest. The whole island is covered with thick bearberry pine tree and holm oak forest, giving it its epithet as the most wooded of all the Croatian islands."

"The island is shaped like the number eight and the only town on the island carries the same name.
The town of Silba is situated in the middle of the island at its narrowest point," Ana said while we were passing through the center of town.

"There are only a few café bars, restaurants and an ice-cream shop and that’s where people mostly hang out.”

“Otherwise, you’ll find them in their back yards having a barbecue, drinking beer and enjoying themselves," added Mark.

EARLY BIRD CATCHES THE WORM

Next morning I woke up at 7, which is pretty early for someone on holiday, or maybe not?

I made myself a hot cup of coffee, went outside and sat on the shore as close to the sea as I could get. The view spread to a little dock where a trawler was being tied up, just in from last night’s fishing.

I left my coffee on the beach and went to the trawler with the aim of buying some fresh fish for lunch.
The seagulls had already smelled the catch and were circling above waiting for the right moment to make a dive for left overs as the fishermen sorted out the fish and got it ready for the market.

The young men on the boat tending the nets and cleaning it were stunned to see me with a camera in my hand at that early hour, but it didn't take them long to throw some catchy pick-up lines at me.

They casually informed me they would be here again tomorrow and would be more than happy to pose for me, if I would only let them know which magazine cover they'd be featured on.

SARCOPHAGI, BEACHES AND A VAMPIRE

Ana and Mark waited for me at the beach, each one with a cup of coffee in their hand.

"Hey Lucy, any luck with the fish?" Ana asked.

"There are more seagulls than fish," I said sitting down beside them, still under the impression of the witty fishermen from the trawler.

"Let's go and take a walk to Pocukmarak Bay," suggested Mark, always on the look out for some action.

The sun was already high in the sky and we could feel it's warmth on our skin.

"Pocukamarak Bay is famous for its archaeological finds," he started explaining as we headed out towards it.

"What exactly?"

"Ancient sarcophagi."

"Ancient sarcophagi?"

"It's assumed they were made on the island of Brač, but had been ordered by a few wealthy families from Silba who wanted them as a final resting place."

"So when and how did they end up in the sea?"

"During the Middle Ages when new inhabitants moved to Silba they used the sarcophagi as building blocks for a small dock. The rectangular stone blocks made the perfect building material. So that’s where they lie today, two meters under the sea, roughly around there," Mark pointed out to me.

"Girls, I suggest we visit some beaches by boat today. If you're up for some action?"

It didn't take much to persuade us, so we walked to the other side of the island and rented a boat in Mul Bay.

We came ashore on Mavro Beach from where the view spread out towards Grebeni, a limestone reef. "That's the best fishing spot,” Mark informed us.
“Experienced fishermen will know that schools of fish swarm around the reef."

We hadn’t traveled much further inland when we came across a small lake.

"This is where the animals that live on the island come to drink," Ana said.

"There are sheep, goats, and wild rabbits on the island. If we're lucky maybe we'll catch sight of some baby bunnies."

"You expect a bunny to pose for you, but you haven't even brought a carrot, hm?" Mark teased.

We walked along the beach, but were soon off again with the sound of the boat’s engine in our ears.
As we drove against the waves I watched the reef, hoping to see a dolphin.

"Next stop will be a sandy beach called Dobre Vode (Healthy Waters)."

"It seems someone set up camp here already," Ana noticed as we came closer.

We observed the wooden structure on the beach. It was made of a few tied up sticks and wooden boards and covered with a blanket.

"It must be tied up quite firmly not to have collapsed by now."
"Kudos to whoever went through the trouble of making this," Ana said as she crouched beneath the blanket.

"Girls, I don't think we're alone on the beach."

Looking for some adventure, we went further inland where we stumbled across a thick forest.

On one of the trees we suddenly noticed a wooden sign tied up with thick blue and pink rope. We read "Linčina bar,” which roughly translates as "Lazy ass bar".

We walked around the improvised bar. A few unopened beers had been left in a pack.

A T-shirt was drying in the sun. A tree trunk and some boards had been used as chairs around a table, where, of all things, we found a chessboard.

We strained to make out any sound, expecting to see someone at any moment, but nothing.

"I assume the bar was set up by the same people that made that structure on the beach," I commented as I curiously looked at the scene in front of us.

"Maybe we should get back to the boat. Maybe this is a trap."

"What are you afraid of Mark?"

"Pankogula."

“Who?"

"The blood-lusting vampire of Silba from the 19th century."

As he began telling the story, the sun suddenly hid behind a cloud and a wind stirred through the trees.

"Every month the people of the town offered up a child up for sacrifice to appease Pankogulo’s need for fresh blood. One day they decided it was too high a price to pay. Pankogulo was left hungry. That night he stole the first child he saw.

The people, scared and armed with what weapons they could muster went to the graveyard to kill him…”

"It's just a legend Mark, besides, the legend confirms he was killed. We saw his grave," Ana interrupted him.

"Legends live as long as they are being told. Imagine he woke up hungry and saw us!"

"I don’t think there are any vampires or people here. It would be more terrifying if a storm came and we didn't have enough time to get back," I said and started back towards the boat.

As we drove, the wind kept rising. Some rocky shores formed ahead us.
To my astonishment the rocks become bigger and bigger as we approached. Right beneath them one felt so small. It was a bit frightening.

"That's how this bay got its name Vele Stine (Big Rocks)," Mark said as if he had read my mind.

Carefully we approached the shore watching out for the ones we couldn't see beneath the surface. The wind and waves would make it harder to dock, but we decided to climb up to the top of the rocks and enjoy the view.

We only realised the time when we were interrupted by the whistle of the ferry.

"We have to sail out before the big waves come and throw us against the rocks," Ana said and started towards the boat.

We just managed to escape the waves and the horrid weather. A pouring rain came down minutes after we had made it to shore.

CAFE DEL MAR

Next day we went to the towns' sandy beach Šotorišće. Kids and their parents were playing in the shallows, while others were sunbathing on the beach.

We sat on some high bar stools in the Cafe Del Mar. It is the only bar on the beach where people can hide from the scorching midday sun and cool off with an iced drink.

My gaze drifted off into the distance following the intense colour of a crystal clear blue sea.

"If I were to describe paradise, it would look exactly like this,” I found myself saying out loud, as I watched a kaleidoscopic play of turquoise, green and blue materialise before my eyes.

Every once in a while new people joined us, sitting at our table or close by.
At one point there were twenty of us, all talking between ourselves.
You could hear a myriad of languages coming from our side of the bar.
Croatian, English, Italian and German were being emitted like radio frequencies from an antenna.

"You see Lucy, yesterday we were all alone on the beach and today we’re
surrounded by a crowd. Silba is full of options. It’s up to you how you want to spend your time here.
You can choose an isolated sandy beach, or a perilous rocky one, you can decide to be alone or in company, to camp in nature or enjoy the modern luxury of your apartment", said Ana.

Today we decided to hang out with the crowd.

ISLAND CATS AND A SUNSET

It was already dusk as we took a walk around the island, so I decided to broach a subject that had been on my mind for some time. Something I had noticed since my arrival.

“Cats,” I said. “The island is full of cats. Look at this one, it has a green necklace that matches it's eyes. And they all look well fed and clean."

“It’s true. The people who live on the island adore cats and they take really good care of them," Mark confirmed, as one feline watched us from a stone wall.

The sun had almost hid beneath the horizon and darkness soon enveloped the vivid display of colour that the last rays of sunlight splashed across the sky.
Beneath a bright moon the first timid stars twinkled.

The light of a lighthouse shone out across the bay, while on the shore reflectors illuminated the stone sculpture of a sailor, Jedro (The Sail), who has been greeting travellers since 1997.

The scene was magical.

INSPIRATION BEHIND EVERY CORNER

We spent two unforgettable weeks on Silba.

Like a treasure chest, the island was full of riches, and we chose the ones closest to our hearts.

Each precious moment was stored in our memories with care to remind us of a perfect moment; a boat ride, a walk through virgin forest, or hanging out in town.

On our last day, as we left the island, we could have sworn we heard the seagulls wishing us farewell and making us promise we would be back soon… or perhaps we had just imagined it…

Dear reader, if you’ve travelled this far with us, let us know if you have a perfect holiday spot if you’ve found your sparkling diamond.

Authored by @lufcija

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